Zachary Svajda (/ˈsvaɪ.də/SVY-duh;[1] born November 29, 2002) is an American professional tennis player.[2] He achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 102 on 26 August 2024, and he peaked at No. 664 in doubles on 8 August 2022.
Early life and background
A native of San Diego, California, Svajda took up tennis at the age of 2, initially coached by Matt Hanlin.[3] He is of Czech descent.[4] He has a younger brother Trevor who is also a tennis player,[5][6] who is currently studying at SMU.[7]
He earned his first ATP World Tour ranking point at the age of 15, defeating top-seeded João Lucas Reis da Silva of Brazil 6–3, 6–4 at the 2018 Claremont Club Pro Classic as a local main-draw wild card.[8]
Professional career
2019: ATP and Grand Slam debut
On August 11, 2019, Svajda defeated Govind Nanda 6–7(3–7), 7–5, 6–3, 6–1 to win the USTABoys 18s National Championship. This victory earned the 16-year-old a wildcard into the main draw of the 2019 US Open, making him the youngest player to play in the men's US Open since Donald Young in 2005.[9] There, despite succumbing to full-body cramps in a five-set first round loss to Paolo Lorenzi, he drew attention as a future prospect in American professional tennis for his solid ground strokes and adept net play.[10]
2021: First Major win at the US Open
After defeating Ben Shelton 6–1, 6–4, 6–1 to defend his Boys 18s National Championship title, Svajda was given another wildcard into the US Open.[11] There, ranked world No. 716, he beat world No. 81 Marco Cecchinato to progress to the second round[12] before bowing out against 13th seed Jannik Sinner in four tight sets. The latter was an unexpectedly close match between two young players with a differential in ranking of over 700 spots.[13]
2022: Maiden Challenger title
He won his maiden title at the 2022 Tiburon Challenger defeating compatriot Ben Shelton. As a result he climbed to a career-high No. 255 on 10 October 2022.[14]
2023: Three Challenger titles, First ATP 500 win, Top 150 debut
He recorded his first ATP win outside a Major and first at an ATP 500 tournament at the 2023 Citi Open in Washington over Max Purcell as a qualifier.
In August, Svajda entered the main draw of the US Open also as a qualifier.[15] He won the 2023 Cary Challenger II.[16] Two weeks later, he also won the 2023 Tiburon Challenger, making him the first player to win the tournament twice.[17]
2024: Top 105 debut
He entered the main draw at the 2024 Dallas Open as a direct entry. He also qualified for the 2024 Delray Beach Open and defeated eight seed Max Purcell in the first round, for his second win over the Australian (first win was in previous season in Washington) and second ATP win outside of the Grand Slams. He received a qualifying wildcard for the 2024 Abierto Mexicano Telcel.
In July, he qualified for the main draw of the 2024 Hall of Fame Open and for the 2024 Atlanta Open but lost in the first rounds. He also entered the main draw at the 2024 Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington as a lucky loser but lost to wildcard J. J. Wolf. In August, he received a wildcard for the main draw of the US Open.[18] He again entered the main draw of the 2024 Winston-Salem Open as a lucky loser and defeated Laslo Djere in the first round and upset third seed Francisco Cerundolo in the second, getting his revenge for the first round loss at the 2023 US Open, a year earlier.[19] As a result he reached No. 102 in the singles rankings on 26 August 2024.[20]
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